Funny? Not Funny... When a Joke Is at the Expense of Another

Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay

Perhaps you do not understand
This thing you think funny, where it will land?
It hits a spot deep down inside
I feel myself recoil, wanting to hide
If I tell you my story will you then comprehend?
Or will what is between us lie cold on the floor my friend?
 
Too deep, too much, I hear you say
Well, that no longer touches me, no longer holds any sway
For all my life I have made myself small
Bent and shrunk my shape instead of standing tall
So serious, you say, lighten up
Take a chill pill, relax Buttercup
Yours is the drum beat of a familiar song
One where the other tries to make me wrong
Wrong for standing up for what I believe
Yet in my heart I grieve
For do you not see when you make fun of another
It is not comical, it is denigration of your sister or brother
 
This time it was female anatomy
Inviting shame not flattery
Others have found it funny you say
That may be, but perhaps they are misguided in the same way?
The young girl that I was, was warned of this crap
Mother told me, “beware, men want nothing but sex, it’s a trap”
That young girl was fed a lie in a way
But the young boy that was you also fell prey
You were taught to belittle and laugh at another
To joke about that which would otherwise flourish and flower
Stuck in old patterns we grew up to the beat of the same drum
But let’s set aside what was taught by uncle, dad or mum
We can be different and break the chain
Not be the one that keeps on dealing out endless pain
Revise what is funny, if it comes at the expense of another
It hurts us all, sister and brother
Compassion is where it truly is at
Anything else will simply fall flat
 
Well... that is my truth, I have no real wish to make you wrong
For in my having a go we are singing the same song
I have to laugh at myself ranting and raving
Indignation at being made to feel wrong created a craving
I only wish for you to understand
Where what you found funny would actually land
You are me and I am you
Reflections of the other in some insane human brew
Perhaps it is time to take another peep
At something in which I’d rather steep
“Each to their own” I hear myself say
Let’s find some fun in something we both see as play
For when I allow myself to let go and laugh
Especially at myself on this crazy path
I find we are more alike than I’d often own
But when I do, my heart feels like it has come home
 
If you enjoyed reading this, you may enjoy some of my other poems, or articles like How Do I Honour What I Believe and Care Less What You Think?, How to Receive and Be More Confident in Your Needs, Desires and Opinions, Embrace Your Authentic Self, Shed the Toxic People in Your Life and How Living Your Passions Fully Combats Feeling Lonely. To be the first to receive these posts, you can also opt to subscribe to my blog.